Sharp-tailed grouse management

The sharp-tailed grouse is native to Wisconsin and historically occupied a large portion of the state,
using primarily young, open pine and oak barrens or savanna ecosystems. Long-term population declines
across North America, including Wisconsin, have occurred since the early 1900s. Sharp-tailed grouse
management began in northern Wisconsin during the late 1940s and early 1950s in response to concerns
of habitat loss. Sharp-tailed grouse require large, open spaces and specific habitat for courtship, nesting,
brood-rearing and wintering sites. Today, suitable habitat currently exists only in relatively small patches
separated by large tracts of unsuitable habitat. The majority of sharp-tailed grouse in Wisconsin are
now found in the early successional pine barrens and savannas in the northwestern portion of the state.
Some of the larger state-owned areas that focus on sharp-tailed grouse management include the Crex
Meadows [exit DNR] and Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Areas in Burnett County.